What is the difference between Incompetech and PremiumBeat for Redistribution?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): limited. PremiumBeat (Standard): no.

What is the difference between Incompetech and PremiumBeat for Indemnification?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): no. PremiumBeat (Standard): yes.

What is the difference between Incompetech and PremiumBeat for Refund Policy?

Incompetech (Free (CC BY 4.0)): no. PremiumBeat (Standard): limited.

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Incompetech vs PremiumBeat

Side-by-side comparison of licensing terms between Incompetech and PremiumBeat.

License Comparison

Hover or tap any field name to see what it means. Highlighted rows indicate differences.

Field	Incompetech Visit Incompetech	PremiumBeat Visit PremiumBeat
	✓	✓
	✓	✓
	✓	✓
	Not required	Not required
	✗	✗
	~Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.	✗
	✗	✗
	✓	✓
	✓	✓
	✓Published	✓Published
	✗	✓
	✗	~

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Incompetech:

PremiumBeat:

Incompetech

Free (CC BY 4.0)

Visit Platform

PremiumBeat

Standard

Visit Platform

Price

Free

$49/track

Prices may vary by region and are subject to change.

Download

Yes

Commercial Use

Yes

Editing

You can use tracks in your projects, sync to video, loop, and trim. Cannot remix into new standalone music.

Yes

Attribution

Exclusive Rights

Redistribution

Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.

Print Use

Standard License does not cover physical products or broadcast media. Use is limited to digital and online media.

Digital Use

Yes

Client Work

Yes

Survives Cancellation

Forever

Incompetech:

The free license requires specific attribution format: 'Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)' with the CC BY 4.0 license referenced.

Failing to provide attribution under the free license is a copyright violation.

Kevin MacLeod's music is extremely widely used - your content may sound familiar to viewers.

PremiumBeat:

PremiumBeat is owned by Shutterstock. Licenses purchased through Shutterstock subscription plans may have different terms than direct PremiumBeat purchases.

Each license covers a single production or project. Using the same track in a separate project requires purchasing an additional license.

Key Differences

Fields where these platforms differ

Redistribution

Incompetech:~Cannot redistribute raw music files as standalone tracks. Can use in synced productions.

PremiumBeat:✗

Indemnification

Incompetech:✗

PremiumBeat:✓

Refund Policy

Incompetech:✗

PremiumBeat:~

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Informational Only - Not Legal Advice

LicenseOrg provides informational summaries of platform license terms for educational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Always consult the platform’s official license page and a qualified legal professional.

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